Claire's latest trick...

She eats, she laughs, she naps... she CRAWLS!
That's right- Little Miss Claire crawled for the first time on Saturday. She moves steadily across the room by using a traditional crawl, not a fancy alternative. There's no stopping her! So far, she stays on the carpet and avoids the tile. We are once again keenly aware of every minute piece of paper, fuzz, string, etc on the floor. Where does it go?... in Claire's mouth! She'll stop at nothing to cross the floor for stray kleenex, dog toy fuzz or a piece of dirt. Lilly is becoming slightly more aware of her shrinking personal space, but that hasn't bothered her just yet; that fun will come once Claire begins walking.

Claire is on track with Lilly's progress during her first year. Lilly also crawled at the same age: 7 months. If their similarities continue, Claire should be walking by February. WOW!

October Highlights: Our Slideshow

(Click photo to view slideshow.)

October was a busy month. It all started with Lilly's diagnosis with ITP, all the therapy that ensued and then all the fun we had following recovery. We enjoyed a day at Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Party, a day at the zoo, Robby's birthday and fun at home.

Lilly is doing well. We return to PCH for a follow-up test next week. Her first follow-up appointment revealed she reacted well to her treatment. If all goes well, her bout with ITP has ended.

Claire is growing fast; today she sat up in her crib for the first time. She is eating graham crackers and plenty of baby food, smiling, laughing and screaming too. We call her clairadactyl (terradactyl) when she screams at the top of her lungs. Overall she is a cheerful little lady who loves her family. Lilly also loves being a big sister but still likes to be the center of attention.

We have lots of fun things planned for November. We hope you visit our site again to check in!

Unexpected Haircut

It happens to all little girls, right? I have heard the comical stories from other parents but never thought my 2-year old would be the recipient of an unwanted haircut. Yes, maybe she would cut her own hair, eventually, but instead, Lilly was the "customer" at Tiny Toes Beauty Shop.

The story goes a little something like this... Picture a beautiful, slightly warm Arizona afternoon... a pair of scissors that was accidentally left in the yard... two toddlers ages 2 and 3... and the need for some fun...

Megan (Meme) and Lilly quietly closed the shutters and door to the blue play house. Meme, having the skills to use scissors at the ripe age of 3, decides Lilly will be her customer. Several snips later... Lilly has a new haircut. If you ask Lilly what happened to her hair she proudly states "Meme cut my hair". Then she goes on to say... "in the blue house"... followed by "Meme has time out!". So long story short- Lilly has a new 'do just in time for the holidays. This picture is of Lilly just after I picked her up on Halloween. Since this photo was taken, I've trimmed the bangs so they are at least even... short, but even. Have a nice laugh at Lilly's expense. To see just how much hair is missing, scroll down to previous photos.

Move over Shrek...

We are pleased to anounce that Lilly's obsession with Shrek has ended. Throughout her ITP ordeal we had to keep her calm... which often meant laying on the couch watching movies or coloring. We estimate Shrek was the requested move 98% of the time which means that Shrek 1, 2 and 3 played so many times we cannot even count. We do have them memorized, though. While at Schnepf farms, Lilly "met" a donkey. She was a bit perplexed when Rob said "Hey Lilly... Look- It's Donkey from Shrek!". This donkey did not crack any jokes, at least while we were there.

Lilly's new favorite movie: Madagascar. We send a special thank you to Luke and Reid Leahy for sending it to Lilly during her "down time". Marty the zebra and Alex the lion are new family favorites. :)

Pumpkin Time

For the third year in a row, we spent a Saturday at Schnepf Farm's Pumpkin and Chili Party. Cousins Al, Claudine, Nathan and Courtney joined us.

We look forward to our visit to the pumpkin patch for many reasons:
the weather is usually beautiful this time of year, we love spending time with the Stimmler's, Lilly loves riding the train, it's always fun to see which animals will be on display at the petting zoo, and we love family time.

This was Claire's first trip to Schnepf's. She wasn't that excited when it came time to pick her pumpkin. Better luck next year!

Happy fall everyone! We have lots of pictures to show you from this month. Stay tuned for a slide show coming soon.

Happy 1/2 birthday, Claire!

Little Claire turned 6-months this past weekend. Today at her 6-month check-up, she weighed 18lb (75%tile) and was 27.75" (97%tile). The doctor's visit also brought immunizations and a bit of crying. Claire has two teeth (bottom center) and can sit on her own. She loves all kinds of baby food, easily smiles at everyone and loves to play with toys. We fear she will be crawling before long!
Of course, Lilly accompanied Claire to her photo shoot and wanted to take pictures as well. I hope you think they're as adorable as I do.

Claire, 6 months

Claire's tongue sticks out all the time... she plays with her new teeth.

The cutest sisters!

A comparison of both girls at age 6 mo.

Claire on left, Lilly on right.
Both girls have their tongue out!

Bump in the road

Well we have had a trying an unexpected experience this past week. It all began with what I refer to as the "lollipop incident". I took Lilly for a haircut, and she cut her gums while eating a lollipop. It took 5 days before her mouth stopped bleeding. During this time she also developed strange dark purple bruises. The pediatrician ordered blood work. After seeing a hematologist at Phoenix Children's Hospital, Lilly was diagnosed with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). It is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the body's own blood platelets. Normal platelet levels range 150,000- 200,000. On Wednesday, Lilly's levels were 2,000.

She has been receiving an IV-Immuno Globulin treatment, and this treatment should help her body stop attacking itself.
We are thankful for the many prayers and e-mails we have received from our family and friends. As all parents can imagine, this was a very scary time for us.

Lilly is feeling well. Her bruises remain and she has lost weight due to a suppressed appetite, but we are hopeful she will improve. The picture above is of her "mitten". It is an IV wrapped and hidden from her view. Since we will go back for a second treatment today, the nurses suggested leaving the IV in place so that she would not have to be traumatized with another IV placement.

Times like this make us appreciate our health in every way. We thank God for keeping Lilly safe as she recovers from this illness.

The only comical thing from all of this... When Lilly's blood pressure was checked, her IV placed or when blood was taken, she would get incredibly upset (understandably). Instead of screaming or crying, she'd spit! So, during these procedures Lilly zerbered and spit all over the place. We had never seen that side of her before. The nurses found it hilarious; as it was quite the change from crying kids.